Calif. bomb squad robot destroys suspicious device

By Doane YawgerThe Merced Sun-Star

MERCED, Calif. — For the third time in about three weeks, Merced police had to use their remote- control robot Wednesday afternoon to destroy a suspicious-looking explosive device on West 28th Street near Bear Creek.

A city public works employee discovered the baseball-sized spherical object covered with black electrical and blue masking tape and two 12-inch speaker wires about 2:32 p.m. The Merced Police Department's bomb squad destroyed the device at 4:25 p.m.